4. _The Same_: March, 1727-8. By the same. 3840 Numbers.

5. _The Same_: October, 1728. By the same. 3200 Numbers.

6. _The Same_: November, 1728. By the same. 3520 Numbers.

7. _The Same_: April, 1729. By the same. 4161 Numbers.

8. _The Same_: November, 1729. By the same. 2700 Numbers.

9. _The Same_: [Of Rawlinson's MANUSCRIPTS] By the same.

March 1733-4. 800 Numbers.

10. _Picturae Rawlinsonianae._ April, 1734. 117 Articles.

At the end, it would seem that a catalogue of his prints, and MSS. missing in the last sale, were to be published the ensuing winter.

N.B. The black-letter books are catalogued in the Gothic letter.]

[Footnote 36: "BIBLIOTHECae BRIDGESIANae CATALOGUS: or, A Catalogue of the Entire Library of JOHN BRIDGES, late of _Lincoln's Inn_, Esq., &c., which will begin to be sold, by Auction, on Monday the seventh day of February, 1725-6, at his chambers in _Lincoln's Inn_, No. 6."

From a priced copy of this sale catalogue, in my possession, once belonging to Nourse, the bookseller in the Strand, I find that the following was the produce of the sale:

The Amount of the books 3730 0 0 Prints and books of Prints 394 17 6 ----------- Total Amount of the Sale 4124 17 6

Two different catalogues of this valuable collection of books were printed. The one was analysed, or a _catalogue raisonne_; to which was prefixed a print of a Grecian portico, &c., with ornaments and statues: the other (expressly for the sale) was an indigested and extremely confused one--to which was prefixed a print, designed and engraved by A. Motte, of an oak felled, with a number of men cutting down and carrying away its branches; illustrative of the following Greek motto inscribed on a scroll above--[Greek: Dryos pesouses pas aner xyleuetai]: "An affecting memento (says Mr. Nichols, very justly, in his _Anecdotes of Bowyer_, p. 557) to the collectors of great libraries, who cannot, or do not, leave them to some public accessible repository."]

[Footnote 37: In the year 1730-1, there was sold by auction, at St. Paul's Coffee-house, in St. Paul's Church-yard (beginning every evening at five o'clock), the library of the celebrated Free-Thinker,

ANTHONY COLLINS, ESQ.

"Containing a collection of several thousand volumes in Greek, Latin, English, French, and Spanish; in divinity, history, antiquity, philosophy, husbandry, and all polite literature: and especially many curious travels and voyages; and many rare and valuable pamphlets." This collection, which is divided into _two parts_ (the first containing 3451 articles, the second 3442), is well worthy of being consulted by the theologian, who is writing upon any controverted point of divinity: there are articles in it of the rarest occurrence. The singular character of its owner and of his works is well known: he was at once the friend and the opponent of Locke and Clarke, who were both anxious for the conversion of a character of such strong, but misguided, talents. The former, on his death-bed, wrote Collins a letter to be delivered to him, after his decease, which was full of affection and good advice.]

[Footnote 38: It is almost impossible to dwell on the memory of this GREAT MAN without emotions of delight--whether we consider him as an eminent physician, a friend to literature, or a collector of books, pictures, and coins.

Benevolence, magnanimity, and erudition were the striking features of his character: his house was the general receptacle of men of genius and talent, and of every thing beautiful, precious, or rare. His curiosities, whether books, or coins, or pictures, were freely laid open to the public; and the enterprising student, and experienced antiquary, alike found amusement and a courteous reception.

He was known to all foreigners of intellectual distinction, and corresponded both with the artisan and the potentate.

The great patron of literature, and the leader of his profession (which he practised with a success unknown before), it was hardly possible for unbefriended merit, if properly introduced to him, to depart unrewarded. The clergy, and in general, all men of learning, received his advice _gratuitously_: and his doors were open every morning to the _most indigent_, whom he frequently assisted with money. Although his income, from his professional practice, was very considerable, he died by no means a rich man--so large were the sums which he devoted to the encouragement of literature and the fine arts!

The sale of Dr. Mead's _books_ commenced on the 18th of November, 1754, and again on the 7th of April, 1755: lasting together 57 days. The sale of the _prints_ and _drawings_ continued 14 nights. The _gems_, _bronzes_, _busts_, and _antiquities_, 8 days.

His books produced 5496 15 0 Pictures 3417 11 0 Prints and drawings 1908 14 0 Coins and medals 1977 17 0 Antiquities 3246 15 0 -------------- Amount of all the sales 16,047 12 0

It would be difficult to mention, within a moderate compass, all the rare and curious articles which his library contained--but the following are too conspicuous to be passed over. The _Spira Virgil_ of 1470, _Pfintzing's Tewrkdrancs_, 1527, _Brandt's Stultifera Navis_, 1498, and the _Aldine Petrarch_ of 1501, ALL UPON VELLUM. The large paper _Olivet's Cicero_ was purchased by Dr. Askew for 14 14_s._ and was sold again at his sale for 36 15_s._ The King of France bought the editio princeps of _Pliny Senr._ for 11 11_s._; and Mr. Willock, a bookseller, bought the magnificently illuminated _Pliny by Jenson_ of 1472, for 18 18_s._: of which Maittaire has said so many fine things. The _French_ books, and all the works upon the _Fine Arts_, were of the first rarity, and value, and bound in a sumptuous manner. Winstanley's _Prospects of Audley End_ brought 50.

An amusing account of some of the pictures will be found in Mr. Beloe's "_Anecdotes of Literature and Scarce Books_,"

vol. i. 166. 71. But consult also _Nichol's Anecdotes of Bowyer_, p. 225, &c. Of the catalogue of Dr. Mead's books there were only six copies printed on LARGE PAPER. See Bibl.

Lort, no. 1149.]

The years 1755-6 were singularly remarkable for the mortality excited by the BIBLIOMANIA; and the well known names of Folkes,[39] and Rawlinson,[40] might have supplied a modern Holbein a hint for the introduction of a new subject in the "_Dance of Death_." The close of George the Second's reign witnessed another instance of the fatality of this disease. Henley[41] "bawled till he was hoarse" against the cruelty of its attack; while his library has informed posterity how severely and how mortally he suffered from it.

[Footnote 39: "A Catalogue of the entire and valuable library of MARTIN FOLKES, ESQ., President of the Royal Society, and member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, lately deceased; which will be sold by auction by Samuel Baker, at his house, in York Street, Covent Garden.

To begin on Monday, February 2, 1756, and to continue for forty days successively (Sundays excepted). Catalogues to be had at most of the considerable places in Europe, and all the booksellers of Great Britain and Ireland, Price Sixpence."

This collection was an exceedingly fine one; enriched with many books of the choicest description, which Mr. Folkes had acquired in his travels in Italy and Germany. The works on natural history, coins, medals, and inscriptions, and on the fine arts in general, formed the most valuable department--those in the Greek, Latin and English classics, were comparatively of inferior importance. It is a great pity the catalogue was not better digested; or the books classed according to the nature of their contents.

The following prices, for some of the more rare and interesting articles, will amuse a bibliographer of the present day. The chronicles of Fabian, Hall, and Grafton, did not altogether bring quite 2: though the copies are described as perfect and fair. There seems to have been a fine set of Sir Wm. Dugdale's Works (Nos. 3074-81) in 13 vols. which, collectively, produced about 30 guineas.

In _Spanish literature_, the history of South America, By Don Juan and Ant. di Ulloa, Madr. fol. in 5 vols., was sold for 5: a fine large paper copy of the description of the Monastery of St. Lorenzo, and the Escorial, Madr. 1657, brought 1 2_s._: de Lastanosa's Spanish Medals, Huesca, fol. 1645, 2 2_s._

In _English_, the first edition of Shakespeare, 1623, which is now what a French bibliographer would say "presque introuvable," produced the sum of 3 3_s._; and Fuller's Worthies, 18_s._!

_Fine Arts, Antiquities, and Voyages._ Sandrart's works, in 9 folio volumes (of which a fine perfect copy is now rarely to be met with, and of very great value) were sold for 13 13_s._ only: Desgodetz Roman edifices, Paris, 1682, 4 10_s._: Galleria Giustiniano, 2 vols., fol. 13 13_s._ Le Brun's Voyages in Muscovy, &c., in large paper, 4 4_s._ De Rossi's Raccolta de Statue, &c. Rom. 1704, 6 10_s._ Medailles du Regne de Louis le Grand, de l'imp. Roy. 1. p.

fol. 1702, 5 15_s._ 6_d._

The works on _Natural History_ brought still higher prices; but the whole, from the present depreciation of specie, and increased rarity of the articles, would now bring thrice the sums then given.

Of the _Greek and Latin Classics_, the Pliny of 1469 and 1472 were sold to Dr. Askew for 11 11_s._ and 7 17_s._ 6_d._ At the Doctor's sale they brought 43 and 23: although the first was lately sold (A.D. 1805) among some duplicates of books belonging to the British Museum, at a much lower price: the copy was, in fact, neither large nor beautiful. Those in the Hunter and Cracherode collections are greatly superior, and would each bring more than double the price.

From a priced copy of the sale catalogue, in my possession, I find that the amount of the sale, consisting of 5126 articles, was 3091 5_s._

The _Prints and Drawings_ of Mr. Folkes occupied a sale of 8 days; and his _pictures_, _gems_, _coins_, and _mathematical instruments_, of five days.

Mr. MARTIN FOLKES may justly be ranked among the most useful, as well as splendid, literary characters of which this country can boast. He appears to have imbibed, at a very early age, an extreme passion for science and literature; and to have distinguished himself so much at the University of Cambridge, under the able tuition of Dr.

Laughton, that, in his 23rd year, he was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Society. About two years afterwards he was chosen one of the council, and rose, in gradual succession, to the chair of the presidentship, which he filled with a credit and celebrity that has since never been surpassed. On this occasion he was told by Dr. Jurin, the Secretary, who dedicated to him the 34th vol. of the Transactions, that "the greatest man that ever lived (Sir Isaac Newton) singled him out to fill the chair, and to preside in the society, when he himself was so frequently prevented by indisposition: and that it was sufficient to say of him that he was _Sir Isaac's friend_."

Within a few years after this, he was elected President of the Society of Antiquaries. Two situations, the filling of which may be considered as the _ne plus ultra_ of literary distinction. Mr. Folkes travelled abroad, with his family, about two years and a half, visiting the cities of Rome, Florence, and Venice--where he was noticed by almost every person of rank and reputation, and whence he brought away many a valuable article to enrich his own collection. He was born in the year 1690, and died of a second stroke of the palsy, under which he languished for three years, in 1754.

Dr. Birch has drawn a very just and interesting character of this eminent man, which may be found in Nichol's _Anecdotes of Bowyer_, 562. 7. Mr. Edwards, the late ornithologist, has described him in a simple, but appropriate, manner. "He seemed," says he, "to have attained to universal knowledge; for, in the many opportunities I have had of being in his company, almost every part of science has happened to be the subject of discourse, all of which he handled as an adept.

He was a man of great politeness in his manners, free from all pedantry and pride, and, in every respect, the real unaffected fine gentleman."]

[Footnote 40: "BIBLIOTHECA RAWLINSONIANA, sive Catalogus Librorum Richardi Rawlinson, LL.D. Qui prostabunt Venales sub hasta, Apud Samuelem Baker. In Vico dicto _York Street, Covent Garden Londini, Die Lunae_, 22 Martii MDCCLVI."

This valuable library must have contained about 20,000 volumes; for the number of Articles amounted to 9405. On examining a priced catalogue of it, which now lies before me, I have not found any higher sum offered for a work than 4 1_s._ for a collection of fine prints, by Aldegrave (No.

9405). The Greek and Latin classics, of which there were few _Editiones Principes_, or on _large paper_, brought the usual sums given at that period. The old English black-lettered books, which were pretty thickly scattered throughout the collection, were sold for exceedingly low prices--if the copies were perfect. Witness the following:

_s._ _d._

The Newe Testament in English, 1530 0 2 9 The Ymage of both Churches, after the Revelation of St. John, by Bale, 1550 0 1 6 The boke called the Pype or Tonne of Perfection, by Richard Whytforde, 1532 0 1 9 The Visions of Pierce Plowman, 1561 0 2 0 The Creede of Pierce Plowman, 1553 0 1 6 The Bookes of Moses, in English, 1530 0 3 9 Bale's Actes of Englishe Votaryes, 1550 0 1 3 The Boke of Chivalrie, by Caxton 0 11 0 The Boke of St. Albans, by W. de Worde 1 1 0

These are only very few of the rare articles in English literature, of the whole of which (perhaps upwards of 200 in number) I believe, the 'Boke of St. Albans,' brought the highest sum. Hence it will be seen that this was not the age of curious research into the productions of our ancestors.

Shakspeare had not then appeared in a proper _Variorum edition_. Theobald, and Pope, and Warburton, had not investigated the black-letter lore of ancient English writers, for the illustration of their favourite author.

This was reserved for Farmer, for Steevens, for Malone, for Chalmers, Reed and Douce: and it is expressly to these latter gentlemen (for Johnson and Hanmer were very sparing, or very shy, of the black letter), that we are indebted for the present spirit of research into the works of our ancestors.

The sale of the books lasted 50 days. There was a second sale of pamphlets, books of prints, &c., in the following year, which lasted 10 days; and this was immediately succeeded by a sale of the Doctor's single prints and drawings, which continued 8 days.]

[Footnote 41: This gentleman's library, not so remarkable for the black letter as for whimsical publications, was sold by auction, by Samuel Paterson, [the earliest sale in which I find this well known book-auctioneer engaged] in June, 1759, and the three ensuing evenings. The title of the Sale Catalogue is as follows:

"A Catalogue of the original MSS. and manuscript collections of the late Reverend Mr. JOHN HENLEY, A.M., Independent Minister of the Oratory, &c., in which are included sundry collections of the late Mons. des Maizeaux, the learned editor of Bayle, &c., Mr. Lowndes, author of the Report for the Amendment of Silver Coins, &c., Dr. Patrick Blair, Physician at Boston, and F.R.S. &c., together with original letters and papers of State, addressed to Henry d'Avenant, Esq., her Britannic Majesty's Envoy at Francfort, from 1703 to 1708 inclusive."

Few libraries have contained more curious and remarkable publications than did this. The following articles, given as notable specimens, remind us somewhat of Addison's Memoranda for the Spectator, which the waiter at the coffee-house picked up and read aloud for the amusement of the company.

No. 166. God's Manifestation by a Star to the Dutch. A mortifying Fast Diet at Court. On the Birth Day of the first and oldest young gentleman. All corrupt: none good: no not one.